Physiological monitoring system featuring floormat and wired handheld sensor

Abstract

A physiological monitoring system features a Floormat and Handheld Sensor connected by a cable. A user stands on the Floormat and grips the Handheld Sensor. These components measure time-dependent physiological waveforms from a user over a conduction pathway extending from the user's hand or wrist to their feet. The Handheld Sensor and Floormat use a combination of electrodes that inject current into the user's body and collect bioelectric signals that, with processing, yield ECG, impedance, and bioreactance waveforms. Simultaneously, the Handheld Sensor measures photoplethysmogram waveforms with red and infrared radiation and pressure waveforms from the user's fingers and wrist, while the Floormat measures signals from load cells to determine ‘force’ waveforms to determine the user's weight, and ballistocardiogram waveforms to determine parameters related to cardiac contractility. Processing these waveforms with algorithms running on a microprocessor yield the vital sign, hemodynamic, and biometric parameters.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A biometric sensor system configured to measure a blood pressure value and a physiological waveform from a user, comprising: a first device comprising a Floormat configured to rest stably on a surface and to support a weight of the user standing thereon, the Floormat including a first electrode disposed at an upper surface thereof and adapted to make contact with a sole of one of the user's feet when the user stands on the Floormat; a second device comprising a Handheld Sensor adapted to be supported at a region of one of the user's hands, the Handheld Sensor 1) including a second electrode disposed adapted to make contact with skin in a region of the user's hand when the Handheld Sensor is supported thereat; a receiving component in a shape of an annular segment comprising an opening adapted to receive a portion of the user's arm while the user holds the Handheld Sensor, the receiving component lined on its inner surface with an inflatable cuff; and 3) being electrically connected to the Floormat via a cable having one or more electrical conductors disposed therein; an analog system configured to receive biometric signals from the first electrode and from the second electrode, and pressure signals from the inflatable cuff, and to process the biometric signals to generate a first analog physiological waveform, and to process the pressure signals to determine a second analog physiological waveform; and a digital system configured to digitize the first analog physiological waveform and to process it with a first computer code to determine the physiological waveform, and to digitize the second analog physiological waveform and to process it with a second computer code to determine the blood pressure value; wherein the analog system is located in one of the first and second devices and the electrode disposed in the other device is electrically connected to the analog system by means of said one or more electrical conductors. 
     
     
       2. The biometric sensor system of  claim 1 , wherein the analog system comprises a differential amplifier configured to amplify a difference between the biometric signals received from the first and second electrodes to generate the first analog physiological waveform. 
     
     
       3. The biometric sensor system of  claim 1 , wherein the first analog physiological waveform includes heartbeat-induced pulsations. 
     
     
       4. The biometric sensor system of  claim 3 , wherein the first analog physiological waveform is an electrocardiogram (ECG) waveform. 
     
     
       5. The biometric sensor system of  claim 4 , wherein the ECG waveform includes a set of heartbeat-induced QRS complexes and the first computer code is configured to calculate a time difference between successive QRS complexes to determine the user's heart rate. 
     
     
       6. The biometric sensor system of  claim 1 , further comprising a circuit board disposed within each of the Floormat and the Handheld Sensor. 
     
     
       7. The biometric sensor system of  claim 6 , wherein the analog and digital systems are disposed on the circuit board disposed within the Floormat and the digital system includes a microprocessor that is programmed with said first computer code to process the first analog physiological waveform to determine the physiological waveform. 
     
     
       8. The biometric sensor system of  claim 7 , wherein the first and second electrodes are in electrical, signal-conducting contact with the analog system. 
     
     
       9. The biometric sensor system of  claim 6 , wherein the analog and digital systems are disposed on the circuit board disposed within the Handheld Sensor and the digital system includes a microprocessor that is programmed with said computer code to process the analog physiological waveform to determine the physiological waveform. 
     
     
       10. The biometric sensor system of  claim 9 , wherein the first and second electrodes are in electrical, signal-conducting contact with the analog system. 
     
     
       11. The biometric sensor system of  claim 1 , wherein the Floormat includes a weight-measurement subsystem comprising at least one load cell. 
     
     
       12. The biometric sensor system of  claim 1 , wherein the Handheld Sensor includes a grip adapted to be grasped with the user's hand to support the Handheld Sensor and the second electrode is disposed at the grip, the second electrode adapted to make contact with the user's palm and/or anterior surfaces of the user's fingers when the user grasps the grip. 
     
     
       13. The biometric sensor system of  claim 1 , wherein the arm-receiving portion comprises the inflatable cuff which is adapted to receive and engage the distal portion of the user's arm. 
     
     
       14. The biometric sensor system of  claim 13 , wherein the cuff comprises an inflatable bladder. 
     
     
       15. The biometric sensor system of  claim 14 , wherein the second electrode is formed from conductive, elastomeric material disposed over a surface of the inflatable bladder. 
     
     
       16. The biometric sensor system of  claim 14 , wherein the sensor system further comprises a microprocessor-controlled pneumatic inflation system configured and arranged to control inflation and deflation of the inflatable bladder. 
     
     
       17. The biometric sensor system of  claim 16 , wherein the second electrode is formed from elastomeric fabric that stretches and contracts with the inflatable bladder as the bladder is, respectively, inflated and deflated. 
     
     
       18. The biometric sensor system of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second electrodes each comprise a conductive material. 
     
     
       19. The biometric sensor system of  claim 18 , wherein the conductive material comprising the first electrode is one of a conductive fabric, a metal component, a conductive foam, a conductive polymeric material, and a hydrogel material and the conductive material comprising the second electrode is one of a conductive fabric, a metal component, a conductive foam, a conductive polymeric material, and a hydrogel material. 
     
     
       20. The biometric sensor system of  claim 1 , wherein the receiving component is a C-shaped component. 
     
     
       21. The biometric sensor system of  claim 1 , wherein the receiving component is a U-shaped component.